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We lost a friend and crewman last month. Gerry Thompson (71) passed away on October 8th, 2018.

He was a active member of the Friends of Crysler’s Farm group for many years, a very interesting long term historic interpreter gardener at Upper Canada Village and was a faithful 1st member (1986) of my recreated Royal Navy 1812 cannon crew that participated in many reenactments in the area over the years.

We will miss his depth of knowledge on historical facts and stories, his work with the Friends as well as his friendship.

Fair winds and following seas my friend.

Bob Irvine

On behalf of the Friends

Pictures taken at Ogdensburg, February 1987 and Fort Wellington Loyalist Days 1989.

The cannon at the Battle Monument were installed by the Canadian Federal Government in 1895, and were last fired at the opening of the Crysler’s Farm Battlefield National Historic Site in 1961.

This year, they were fired again for the first time in over 50 years.

The cannon themselves are a Blomefield Pattern 24 pounder cast iron gun, cast in 1806 in Falkiek Scotland at the Carron Foundry. They likely came over as ships guns mounted on the larger warships of the day. The iron skeleton carriages they’re mounted on are for peacetime only, and in time of war the cannon are put back on wooden carriages. The service load in the day was 8 pounds of powder; for the Remembrance Day ceremony, 1 pound of powder was used for the blank signal round.

Preparation for return to service wasn’t a trivial task. From Bob Irvine:

I took out 40 lbs of debris, sticks, stubbie beer bottles, long neck bottles, Timmie cups, dirt and sticks and 26 cents in coins. The powder charge is set off with a quill filled with fine powder lit by a linstock consisting of lit slowmatch and a long handle as can be seeing when I touched off the gun in the photo.

Step right into the authentically recreated camps of the British and American army during the War of 1812. Meet period craftspeople, artisans and sutlers who come together to create a large display of living military history. Watch re-enactment battles near the Battle of Crysler’s Farm Memorial Building, next door to Upper Canada Village.

The weekend will include:

Gates open at 9:30AM in Crysler Park

Military Camp open to the public from 10:00AM-4:00PM

Live Action Battle each afternoon starting at 1:30PM (starting with children’s muster and cannon demo)

Period merchants and artisans

Local historical group displays

Ongoing AM & PM demonstrations and drills

English country dancing demonstration (SATURDAY ONLY) from 11:00AM until NOON

Visit the dioramas at the battle of Crysler’s Farm Memorial Building and the Battlefield memorial